Surging Anti-Semitism in Germany Sparks Cry for Help from Jewish Community

The German government has been accused of abandoning its Jewish community as a surging tide of anti-Semitism means there are parts of the country where it is considered dangerous to be a Jew.

Josef Schuster, the president of the Central Council of Jews in Germany, made the call. He lamented a lack of action by the German government combined with mass, unfettered immigration from Muslim countries as being key contributors to the plight felt by the nation’s Jewish community.

“In some districts in major cities, I’d advise people not to identify themselves as Jews,” Mr. Schuster said in an interview with the Bild am Sonntag newspaper. “Experience has shown that openly wearing a kippa or a necklace with the Star of David is enough to attract verbal or physical threats.”

He pointed to Muslim immigrants who come from cultures with zero tolerance for Jews as a particular threat.

“There is a legitimate concern when there are numerous people who have grown up with Israel and anti-Jewish slogans. Whoever has been indoctrinated for a lifetime does not throw it off at the German border. We have to work actively against these ideas. The rejection of anti-Semitism and the recognition of Israel’s right to exist must be a basis for cohabitation in Germany.”

The appointment of a special state commissioner to record attacks and serve as a point of contact for people targeted by prejudice is needed, according to Mr. Schuster, as he accused the government of failing to “take the necessary actions” to tackle the trend.

“The EU Parliament has recommended that all member states appoint such a representative … so it would be very strange if Germany didn’t appoint a commissioner to fight anti-Semitism,” he said.

He added that levels of anti-Semitism were particularly high among Muslim students, and that there was a need for Islamic associations and schools to do more to counter this kind of prejudice.

“The whole of society needs to take the problem of Muslim anti-Semitism very seriously, while at the same time avoiding casting suspicion on all Muslims.”

As Breitbart News has reported, schoolteachers and other school officials in Berlin have confirmed the rising trend of anti-Semitism among pupils and say the expression “You Jew!” has become a common insult.

A report conducted by the American Jewish Committee (AJC) of 21 schools in Berlin shows the level of hatred is growing among the primarily Turkish and Arab Muslim pupils. The group also found a disturbing rise in support for radical Islamism, according to German broadcaster RBB.

Many of the teachers interviewed for the survey said they had been confronted by various anti-Semitic incidents in recent years. Some blamed “religious authorities”, saying many of the Muslim children were being taught at their mosques to be aggressive toward classmates who were girls, homosexuals or secular Muslims.